Blackburn single mum goes from council estate to successful CEO

Lisa Edge grew up in a family of five until her parents divorced at a critical age in her childhood, and she left school with no qualifications or prospects.

She became a mum at the age of 16 and continued living on a council estate in nearby Bolton.

Despite the ‘naysayers’ doubting her, Lisa was driven to get back into education and finish the rest of her degrees at Blackburn College before going onto work in the private and public sector where she worked closely with various employers.

Lisa listened to what these employers had to say and in 2016, founded Lancashare to centralise the county’s resources and help businesses connect.

On International Women's Day, she is sharing her incredible story in the hopes of inspiring more women to follow in her footsteps.

Lisa Edge (Image: PR)

Seven years on, GB Shared has grown to be the UK’s first sustainable marketplace and Lisa is one of this year’s 50 winners of Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation Awards and will receive a £50,000 grant.

Speaking on her win, Lisa said: “Proud is not a word. I found out just before Christmas when I was exhausted so then when I got that email saying I was a winner, it couldn’t have come at a better time.

"After seven years of solid graft, it’s really nice that it’s started to be recognised.

“The money is a brilliant addition from a tech perspective, but a woman would never get access to the high level strategic support that Innovate UK are willing to give us and for that I will be forever grateful.”

Coinciding with International Women’s Day (March 8), the awards reflect the government’s ambition to give more support to women innovators and business leaders.

It also awards entrepreneurs who are developing novel solutions to major social, environmental, and economic challenges and sustainability is at the forefront of GB Shared as they've just introduced a three-year global accreditation based on a business’s sustainable standing.

Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation programme also supports high-potential women business leaders from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds.

Lisa said: “I started from a minus position of being a female, being a single mum, being on a council estate, having no qualifications, no money, no prospects so if I can do it anybody can do it.

"Women are still underrepresented so lets help them out until we are all as equal as each other.

“I grew up in a community where helping each other mattered, and I feel like we’ve lost a lot of that and that’s what this platform is trying to bring back - a little help thy neighbour while helping yourself, your community, and the planet in the process.”

If you’re an aspiring woman innovator, check out how Innovate UK could support you by visiting its website.